I will never forgive you

Chapter 1

"Eli, I am going to the office. Are you sure, you can take care of him while I am away?" A beautiful lady in her late twenties asked her best friend Elena while putting a really important file very carefully in her bag.

She worked hard the whole night on that file and it was really important for the company she was working for now. Though the company isn't that big but that doesn't matter. It's her work and she doesn't want people to suffer for her smallest mistake.

"Of course, I can, Liah. Don't worry about us. Moreover, he is a total sweetheart." Elena said with an assuring smile which made the beautiful lady smile in pride after hearing her.

"Okay, thank you. oh, When is your flight for New York?" She asked Elena after zipping her bag after she was done putting everything into it.

Elena was in London to visit her best friend for two days. She is a busy businesswoman. She handles her father's textile business in New York as she was the only heir. She also didn't forget to follow her dream of modelling. She handles both of them gracefully. But Elena always manages to find time among her busy schedule to visit her best friend. She has been friends with her since they were little kids. They know everything about each other and were there for each other in every situation. They have supported each other whenever one needed another. They were together in everything.

Elena knows the deepest secret of her best friend which the whole world is unaware of. Even though that secret is the only thing Elena was against of amongst her best friend's several decisions. But she still chose to support her without any choice.

"Today at 8 in the evening," Elena answered sadly. She was sad to leave her best friend alone here yet again. Also, she couldn't guarantee when they will meet again as it will be suspicious if she visits London frequently, because she is famous in New York. She is one of the famous models of New York apart from the successful business heir and the reporters would love to cover their front pages with the news of suspicious frequent visits of Elena Swift in London. And that could lead both of them to many unwanted and complicated situations which none of them wants.

"Okay, I will be at home by five. Then we will spend some time together before I drop you at the airport. Does that sound good?" The beautiful lady asked cheerfully with a smile while getting up from the sofa and started to walk toward the door, hiding her real emotion behind that fake smile. In reality, she was equally sad as Elena.

"Huh, I still can't believe it," Elena exclaimed angrily out of nowhere. She got up from the sofa and she strode toward her friend with frustration.

Her words stopped her best friend in her tracks. She turned around to look at Elena with a blank look on her face. Anybody could say she was not up for the conversation which Elena brought up.

"You can't believe what?" She asked using a blank tone too while raising her perfectly plucked eyebrows.

"That, you, Athaliah Williams, one of the most successful, powerful and self-made businesswomen of New York, who gave the business world a tough competition and made her place in the top five businessmen in New York for three years straight, is here, in London doing a small nine to five desk job, pretending to be dead! When you can be out there and rule the business world like the queen you are." Elena exclaimed in one breath while venting her frustration, ignoring her friend's obvious irritation.

She continued.

"I still can't believe that you chose this path like a coward instead of fighting those who hurt you, betrayed you. You were never like this! As far as I remembered nobody ever got away after messing with you. You always showed them their rightful place, where they belong. Under your feet. So what happened now?" Elena exclaimed angrily.

Yes, her best friend, Athaliah Williams, the most powerful and strong woman known to Elena, is pretending to be dead and hiding far away from her country. Living her life peacefully yet shamefully with a new identity. She had decided to never go back to that place where it all started and where she ended it all at once by faking her death.

Her easy escape!

Though Elena knew about Athaliah's decision of pretending to be dead she never supported it. She was always against it and tried to explain Athaliah a lot of time to get back to her real identity but Athaliah never moved from her decision. She had her reasons to do so which no one will understand.

"Elena, we already talked about it two and a half years ago. I am fine. I love my current life. It's peaceful. I don't want my previous life, my previous identity. I don't want anything from my previous life apart from you. And you already know why I am doing this small desk job. I don't want people to recognise me and keeping my profile as low as I can is the only way to make that possible." Athaliah explained patiently, even though she has always been a short-tempered girl and everybody who met her even for once in life are also aware of it.

"How will anyone recognize you, huh? You did a pretty good job of hiding your identity." Elena stated sarcastically while looking at her up and down. "You changed your name from Athaliah Williams to Lina Smith. So basic! You dyed your jet black hair to brown. You cut your long hair to short and then the dark brown contact lenses to hide your beautiful ocean-like eyes. Good job." Elena exclaimed sarcastically but Athaliah could point her frustration easily behind those touches of sarcasm.

They always have this argument whenever Elena visits her but Athaliah always puts an end to it before it could break her resolves.

"Let's not talk about it. I am getting late. Take care of yourself and him and give me a call immediately if something happens." Saying that Athaliah gave her frustrated best friend a quick hug and left for the elevator. 

Leaving the conversation incomplete yet again.

But she cannot afford to get angry at her only support and lose her too. So avoiding the argument is the only way to make it possible.

"You can't avoid it every time." She heard Elena yelled behind her. She ignored her words too.

She knows that she can avoid it and she will.

***

Athaliah Williams, currently known as Lina Smith. Not a lot of people know Lina, her present self but that is how it was supposed to be. Athaliah was the fashion queen two and a half years ago but nowhere, in London, she is doing a small desk job, living in a beautiful apartment with her only family, her lifeline, from the time she faked her death.

Life in London is expensive and if anyone is wondering how she is affording it here, then they should know that she wasn't the successful businesswoman at the age of twenty for nothing. She was a billionaire and she had secretly made an account and kept forty per cent of her earnings in that account and nobody knew about it. The amount is huge and enough for two people to live an ordinary and comfortable life for years.

Athaliah is happy and content in her current life as she has always been a down to earth person and doesn't want to go back to her previous life ever.

She is Lina now and that's her identity.

"Lina?" One of her co-workers called her to gain her attention. That brought her out of her pools of thoughts.

"Huh.. yeah?" She asked professionally, getting serious.

"You okay?" The co-worker asked in a worried tone which Athaliah ignored.

It's an event organising company and she does some normal paperwork behind the desk here. She doesn't talk to people much and always tries to stay in her zone.

The fewer people, the less attention.

"Yeah." She replied. 

"Would you like to take a break with me?" He asked with a little expectation even after getting rejected for the hundredth time.

Yeah, this dude in front of her has an interest in her but she kept rejecting him. It's nothing new for her. She was used to this kind of attention from the opposite gender from secondary school. But she didn't have to worry about it much. Because she had her brother and.. also HIM, who used to take care of them on her behalf.

"I will be fine if I get to work in privacy." She replied with a tight smile. "Oh, what brought you here?" She asked immediately after insulting him without giving him much time to think over that.

"Uhh... I am here to take that file. Are you done with that?" He asked while trying his best to hide his embarrassment.

She nodded at him.

"Okay, give it to me." 

Athaliah handed her co-worker the file and he left her table.

Then she looked at the clock and cursed loudly. 

It was already 5:30. She had to reach home soon and drop Elena off at the airport. 

Without wasting time any more, she quickly cleared the table and walked out of the small office. She always takes the bus as transport even after having a car. She does that to keep her profile low but as she was already very late, she decided to take a taxi.

Elena called Athaliah only twice throughout the whole day. So, she was relieved that Elena handled everything well.

On her way to her apartment, she called someone.

"Hey, Mary? Can you reach my home in 20 minutes and take care of him for 2 hours?" She asked hurriedly hoping Mary wasn't busy.

She cut the call when Mary said that she wasn't busy and will be there in twenty minutes.

She quickly got out of the taxi after reaching her apartment building and paid the taxi driver quickly. She hurriedly made her way toward the elevator.

Mary reached before Athaliah and was already doing her job. That was a good thing, Athaliah thought. She would drop Elena at the airport and quickly come back home.

She took her car keys and dropped the official documents on the couch and quickly left with Elena.

"You are late," Elena complained as soon as they were out of the apartment.

"Yeah, I know. I am sorry." She apologized sincerely with a tired half-smile.

Elena was really sad as she couldn't spend some quality time with her best friend. But she sobered up quickly and they talked a lot on the way to the airport. They talked about happy past times. But Elena not for once mentioned a word that could hurt or make Athaliah angry at the last moment. As Elena knew very well how short-tempered of a girl Athaliah was.

"Liah, think again and come back. It's been nearly three years. It's enough. You know your brother can't handle all the businesses alone and it will lead to nothing but downfall. He is already broken after losing you, his dearest sister... At least think about the one you have with you. He also needs more people and family members in his life apart from you." Elena tried to make Athaliah understand one last time.

"I can't and I won't. I don't want HIS shadow to fall on my only family." Athaliah said in a tone that meant no arguments.

It was time for Elena to go and check-in. They bid bye to each other with tears. They are like the sisters that they never had.

Athaliah sighed as she remembered why she can't go back to New York. 

Her father was one of the richest men in New York. Athaliah and Her brother, Aiden never lacked anything in their lives. But Athaliah liked to be independent since she was a kid. So, even after being the daughter of one of the richest men she didn't take a single penny to start and establish her business in the fashion world. She worked hard and became everything that Elena mentioned in the morning. She started her journey at the age of twenty and by the age of twenty-three, she had everything. Name, fame, hard-earned luxury, a successful business running and also a lot of enemies.

But she had to leave everything for that one person. Her hard-earned name, fame, business, luxury, everything. She had to leave her beloved family. She was her father's and mother's princess and brother's apple of eyes. But she had to fake her death because that person forced her to do so.

He broke her so bad that she had started to hate her life. She had to fake her death and live this ordinary life as an escape because of that one person. Her family was devastated when the news of their only daughter's death spread like wildfire.

Now Aiden, her brother handles her business but she could see her hard work breaking day by day. But she couldn't blame him. He was already burdened by their father's vast business empire, her death and then her business. She knew it was all too much for him suddenly because he liked to live his life like a free bird. But she couldn't do anything about it nor she wanted to do anything. There might come a time when he may have to sell her business but yet she will not do anything.

She can't afford to come in front of the world again. She can't let the person who ruined her, ruin her only family, her only source of happiness and sanity, her son, Ryan.

She won't let that person see her son when HE didn't want him in the first place. HE ruined her. HE ruined her family. But she won't let HIM ruin her son's life, her small bundle of happiness.

It's not like she is afraid. She was famous in the business world for her coldness and ruthlessness. It's just she doesn't want any bad influence near her son. 

But still, if HE or anyone tries to mess with her son, she won't mind showing them that once a lioness is always a lioness and this time she is wounded and a mother at the same time. She will burn the whole world down.

'Aaron Knight, I will never forgive you for what you did to me. I hate you with every cell of my body.'